For South Carolina Families Affected by Autism

[Guest guest]

Hi -- My name is Lorri Unumb, and I have a 4-year-old son with autism who

receives intensive ABA services. We live in South Carolina, and I am a law

professor at the ton School of Law.

I have written a bill that is being debated in the South Carolina

legislature starting next month that requires insurance companies to cover

autism treatments, such as ABA, that are deemed medically necessary by a

doctor. There are other states that have similar laws, but in South

Carolina, as you probably know, insurance companies typically don't pay for

ABA (saying it's " experimental " or " educational, not medical " or some other

excuse).

The Senate has scheduled a PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS BILL for Thursday, January

12 at 9:30 a.m. at the State House in Columbia. We need lots of parents,

therapists, teachers, doctors, and other interested parties to show up! The

hearing will be in Room 308 of the Gressette Building before Senator

of Greenville, Senator of Oconee, Senator Kaye

of Columbia, Senator Nikki Setzler of Lexington, and Senator

Ronnie Cromer of Newberry.

Please come! If you can't get a babysitter, bring your child! Or consider

having your therapist and child come together. If you can't come to the

hearing but would like to help, please call your legislator to ask him or

her to co-sponsor the bill. The bill number in the House is 4351, and the

number in the Senate is 958. (A copy of the bill is at

http://scautisminsurancebill.blogspot.com.) You can find out who your state

legislators are and get their phone numbers by entering your zip code at

www.scstatehouse.net.

Thanks for helping in this effort, and please contact me at

lunumb@... if you have any questions.

Thanks -- Lorri Unumb